Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara: “This is the last major international event before the Olympics, so standing on the podium here gives us great confidence. We want to return to the podium again, and we’re looking forward to competing with everyone again.”
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won their second Grand Prix Final.
original source: number.bunshun.jp dd. 9th December 2025 by Akiko Tamura
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won their second Grand Prix Final pairs title in Nagoya, delivering a strong performance in front of a home crowd and reflecting on their growth and teamwork ahead of the upcoming Olympics. Here’s a translation of their comments posted on Sports Graphic Number Web.
Asked about performing in front of the Nagoya crowd, Kihara smiled shyly. “We always want to do more and show more, but I think this was good enough… Based on last year’s experience, we tried not to aim for perfection too much.”
Last season, such relaxed smiles were rare, as they pushed themselves too hard in pursuit of perfection. This season, they’ve learned to value their own style. “The short program is done, so for the free skate tomorrow, I want to stay focused but natural, just like today,” Kihara said.
Their free skate score was second to Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase & Nikita Volodin, but they maintained the overall lead. Kihara looked surprised when their victory was confirmed.
Asked if they were aware of the strong performances from earlier pairs, Miura replied, “Not just the Italian pair, but everyone skated so well. The atmosphere was amazing, and instead of getting nervous, I felt we could ride that good wave and skate our way. I hope this leads to even more in the future.”
When asked why their score remained high despite small mistakes, Kihara reflected, “I thought the score might be tough, but I’m happy with what we got. We paid close attention to transitions and details, and even if a jump was missed, we focused on getting the levels. I think that made a difference.”
When asked if pressing his hands together to Miura was an apology for the mistake, Kihara nodded. “I touched down on three jumps combo, which are big point-getters. Miura was jumping well, so if I mess up, it’s a problem,” he said, then burst out laughing. “But I kept thinking not to give up until the end, so I switched my mindset and finished strong.”
Kihara’s laughter referenced last year’s Grand Prix Final, when he said their performance was “honestly not good enough” and shed tears of frustration.
Now, those memories have become jokes. When a familiar reporter commented, “It’s very different from last year,” Kihara replied with a smile, “Yes, it’s good enough now.”
Miura expressed her joy at the press conference, “We were able to skate our way at the GP Final here in Japan, and I’m truly happy. Everyone here had wonderful programs, and the venue was fantastic. I feel we’ve become a bit stronger as skaters,” also congratulating the other pairs.
The next time this group will compete together is at the grand stage in Milan in February.
Kihara commented, “This is the last major international event before the Olympics, so standing on the podium here gives us great confidence. I want to return to the podium again, and I’m looking forward to competing with everyone again.”
Related topics: grand prix final, Riku Miura Ryuichi Kihara
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